I'm playing G3 with 1.74 patch and loving it. I tried to play the vanilla version a few years ago, but it just wouldn't run well on my old machine, plus I was already too vested in Oblivion and NWN2 at the time.

That said, with a newer machine and patches, G3 is easily one of the better rpgs I have ever played. It still looks beautiful 4 years later and looks and feels more realistic than other rpgs that have been released during the last year or two (I've played Risen, DA:O, Divinity 2 and Drakensang). The world feels alive to me. I also like the fact that the map and quest guide don't hold your hand…you actually have to explore to find things…something that Oblivion and other recent rpgs lack.

People gave up on Gothic 3 because a lot of machines could not properly run the game at its time of release…and there were a lot of bugs. Even though I gave up on the game 4 years ago, I could see there was something very special about it. I'm glad I'm revisiting it with a better gaming rig and with community patches. It really is a gem of a game, in my humble opinion.